1. Field of Search 219/227, 219/233, 219/229, 294/99.2, 294/100, 606/206, 606/131, 606/133, 606/264, 606/27, 606/29, 606/42, 606/210, 606/211, 362/157, 362/204, 362/202, 362/208, 362/119, 43/134
2. References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 3,200,028 8/1965 Chisolm 219/227 3,844,291 10/1974 Moen 606/206 3,938,527 2/1976 Rioux et al. 606/133 4,213,460 7/1980 Weiner 606/131 4,240,435 12/1980 Yazawa et al. 606/133 4,303,268 12/1981 Davidson 294/99.2 4,393,872 7/1983 Reznik et al. 604/294 4,442,837 4/1984 Keatley 606/131 4,979,771 12/1990 Childs III 294/99.2 5,002,232 3/1990 Idsund 294/100 5,035,695 7/1991 Weber, Jr. et al 606/42 5,250,046 10/1993 Lee 606/29 5,276,306 1/1994 Huffman 219/229 5,376,087 12/1994 Riemann 294/100 5,556,563 9/1996 Heyde et al. 219/227 5,565,122 10/1996 Zinnbauer et al. 219/227 5,690,847 11/1997 Le Valley et al. 219/233 5,914,062 6/1999 Von Der Heyde 294/99.2
3. Field of Invention
The device of this invention resides in the area of devices used to remove ticks from animals and people and, specifically, incorporates a spot light to locate and observe a tick, along with positive and negative electrodes formed as an elongated tweezer with unique tips to hold and squeeze the tick, as well as a unique electrical circuit powered by two internal 11/2 volt batteries. When a tick is squeezed, a small amount of electric current automatically passes through the tick to cause it to release its grip on the skin of the host, the light will dim indicating current flow, the tick is then lifted off the skin with the tweezer, safely. The device does not use a heated element or member, which can cause discomfort to the host. The small amount of current that passes through the tick is so minimal that a small pet or child cannot feel it.
Explanation of Tick Removal, Concerns
A tick is any of numerous bloodsucking arachnids that attach themselves to warm blooded vertebrates to feed, and include important vectors of infectious diseases; some can transmit Lyme Disease to a host. They vary in size from approximately 0.100 inch in diameter to 0.300 inch in diameter and are difficult to visually locate. Once they attach themselves to the skin, they hold on and, if pulled off, will often leave some tick body parts embedded under the skin that can contribute to infection. The use of heat or heated tweezers to help induce the tick to release its grip on the skin of the host is not always practical, especially with small children or pet animals with long hair.